Satellite on the lookout

As you know, an out-of-control the size of a small bus US spy satellite, whose engine had failed, is plummeting out of its orbit and is expected to crash somewhere on the planet within weeks. It has been claimed that a spy satellite heading uncontrollably towards Earth is not an uncommon event. Satellites come out of orbit and fall back to Earth harmlessly on average once a year. Normally, when US spy satellites reach the end of their lives, they are disposed of through a controlled re-entry and dumped in the Pacific Ocean, so that no-one can learn their secrets (!!!!). However, older satellites are often more difficult to de-orbit properly.
When they re-enter they usually burn up in the atmosphere because a lot of heat has developed and there is a lot of friction. Only heat-resistant or very heavy objects will survive. There is a risk in this case that something will hit the ground.
Officials have no idea where it might land but they are keeping other countries abreast of the situation. By now the satellite is around 200km up, and it's falling by almost 1km a day. So it is expected it will hit the top of the Earth's atmosphere by the end of February or early March.
24 hours before it hits the ground they can predict ground track very well (the line over the Earth where the satellite is overflying). An hour or so beforehand experts might know roughly where the satellite will land - but it is only rough because the line is something like 10,000km long.
The pieces are believed will drop into the sea somewhere ( given that almost three-quarters of the Earth's surface is covered by water). There is the possibility, however, that they could land in Russia or China. Now, with all the "secrets" aboard, we'll see what happens next!

Oh, Almighty!

Relative to strengthening their commitment to Islam, many men in Egypt suddenly appeared to start getting dark calluses on their foreheads ("raisins") as a signal of perhaps-overenthusiastic daily praying. The five prayers require, in all, 34 contacts with the ground (of forehead and nose), and additional personal prayers add to the total. Rumors persist that some men use sandpaper to darken the calluses to appear even more pious...

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At Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, where Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Armenian clerics share space at the site thought to be the birthplace of Jesus, some Orthodox faithful wandered into the Armenian section during Christmas season, and officials of both faiths squared off and flailed at each other with brooms before being separated by Palestinian police...